“They tried to put me in solitary confinement but that is actually impossible as God is everywhere.”
James Mawdsley
What would you go to jail for in Burma? Burma itself, in the case of James Mawdsley.
Mawdsley is a Brit who, in the late 1990s, got himself (intentionally) imprisoned three times in Burma in an attempt to raise the world’s awareness about the plight of the Burmese. His retelling of those events in The Iron Road: A Stand for Democracy in Burma was one of the most influential reads for me in the 2000s. It put Burma on my screen for the first time, but that’s not the only (or even primary) reason his book was so powerful.
[The quotes I use below are not from the book itself, but rather from this interview granted some years later about his experience. Know the book is better than answers to some interview questions.]
Inspired by Aung San Suu Kyi, at 23 years old he went to Burma to make a positive contribution, to teach English in some rural villages. But two months after arriving, the military came through and burned the village to the ground.
Reflecting on this experience and what he could do about it, he decided that, as a Westerner, he might be able to draw attention to the oppression and violence inflicted by the military junta if he himself could be jailed. It wasn’t hard to find a way get jailed.
He flew to Yangon, and went from the airport straight to a public square and started handing out pro-democracy pamphlets. Within five minutes he was arrested, detained for one day, then deported. Not the desired result. He says, “The first time wasn’t long enough and I didn’t achieve anything as I was in and out too quick.“
So the following year he came back to Yangon, this time having to hike through the jungles of Thailand to cross over into Burma, went to the same public square, and once again was arrested. This time he was put in prison for 99 days in terrible conditions, and once again deported. Still not what he was hoping for. He says, “The second time I was really paralyzed with fear and too frightened to be of much use to the democracy movement.”
So once again he made his way back to the same public square, started passing out the same literature, got arrested and put in jail, and this time was sentenced to 17 years. He remembers, “The third time, thanks to God and thanks to the Bible, I had overcome that fear and I was able to challenge the regime in a number of ways.”
James spent most of his time in solitary confinement, and the brutality he suffered was awful, though he would be quick to say it was nothing compared to what a Burmese prisoner would face. His presence did indeed spark an international response. Throughout the UK and Europe and even beyond, vigils were kept for him, prayer meetings arranged, and governments and ambassadors conscripted into advocacy. His plight became a worldwide cause. Many more people than ever before were made aware of the situation in Burma and the outrage surrounding the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi. After 416 days in a Burmese prison, he was released and deported. And this time he didn’t go back. His hope of raising awareness and making some contribution had happened.
That’s the amazing story. Yet, as much that much meant to me, it was James’ motivations and his courage that blew me away. What do I care enough for to be willing to be sentenced not once, but three times, to prison in some far-off jungle? As he recounts early in the book why he did this, for all its youthfulness, it’s awfully moving.
Also early in the book, I absolutely loved how honest he was about his fears and failures. You’ll have to read it to see what I’m talking about. But it’s just gorgeous in its shock.
Most of all, what is so moving about James Mawdsley’s story is the spiritual journey that he undertakes, his dramatic death and resurrection, and the power of the Bible to bring light to any dark place. His retelling of his own spiritual death is about as powerful and well written as any I’ve come across, and I’ve used it quite a few times in teaching. I can’t read it without passion welling up in me, and awe in the power of God, once again convicted in my need to die, and die, and die, so that I can be raised with new strength that comes from trusting in God and not myself.
As he puts it in a later interview,
“Throughout the time in prison I had to learn the lesson again and again that I couldn’t survive this in my own strength. When I thought I could I would fall flat on my face and in that dark moment I would learn again to rely on God’s strength. He would always pick me up again and I would be fine.”
It’s a remarkable story.
James Mawdsley came back to the UK after being released, worked (with Ben Rogers) at Christian Solidarity Worldwide advocating for the people of Burma, ran for the British Parliament, and currently is finishing his studies in order to become a Catholic priest.